Bed and cylinder rotogravure test press with web feed



Dec. 30, 1969 K. I. HALLB-ERG BED AND CYLINDER ROTOGRAVURE TEST PRESS WITH WEB FEED Filed July 5, 196'? INVENmR Knyt't. Ivar HaLLberg v FMJWY PM? ATTORNEY$ United States Patent US. Cl. 101-158 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotogravure test press comprises a support frame having an upper plane surface on which a flattened printing plate containing a gravure pattern thereon is adapted to be secured. A carriage supported on the frame and arranged to be shifted along the gravure pattern on the printing plate includes means mounting a supply roll of web material on which the test printing is to be made, and a rotatable impression cylinder which serves to pull the web off the supply roll and progressively press it against the surface of the test pattern as the carriage is shifted along the pattern. The end of the web after being passed under the impression cylinder is placed under a tension tending to pull it upward and away from the surface of the test pattern so that each increment of the web is removed from contact with the surface of the test pattern immediately after it has been printed.

The present invention relates to a rotogravure test press, which is particularly intended for test printing and which comprises a frame having an upper flat surface on which a rotogravure plate in flattened form is supported, a doctor-knife, an impression cylinder, and means for feeding and removing the material to be printed, e.g. paper, plastic, aluminum foils, or a similar material in sheets or webs the doctor-knife being moved along the planar engraved plate together with, and in advance of, the impression cylinder which presses the material in a progressive manner into printing contact with the plate, the material also being removed from contact with the plate in a progressive manner immediately after printing.

The rotogravure test press according to the invention is therefore characterized in that the printing surface or surfaces of the engraved plate are plane and that means are provided for continuous and immediate removal, after printing, of the printed material from contact with the printing surface.

The rotogravure test press according to the invention may be used for producing test prints using a minimum quantity of test printing ink. Despite this the test prints obtained are very distinct. Due to the fact that the material which is printed is removed at once from the printing surface, the print produced further obtains a high quality because the viscosity of the ink cannot become so high as to prevent a normal flow of the ink.

Additional advantages of the invention will be apparent (from the following specification in which the invention is described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing depicting in perspective an embodiment of the invention chosen by way of example.

The rotogravure test press shown consists of a frame 1 which serves as a flat support base and, to the ends of which two vertical arms 2 and 3 are secured. These arms 2 and 3 carry a cylindrical rod 4 on which a slide or carriage 5 is adapted to run. The carriage 5 is journalled on the rod 4 by means of ball bearings, among other things to permit it to slide back and forth easily on the rod. Carriage 5 can also be rotated about the axis of rod "ice 4. A flattened engraved plate 6 is fixed to an upper flat surface on the frame 1. The said plate 6 has an engraved surface 7 whose etching or gravure is of different depth and/or density. On the carriage 5 a cylinder '8 for a doctorknife is mounted in such manner as to permit it to be rotationally adjusted about its axis. By means of a clamping strip 9 a doctor-knife 10 is fixed to the holder 8. The doctor-knife 10 is preferably made of spring steel. The angular position of the doctor-knife in relation to the printing surfaces 7 may be varied as a result of the rotatable mounting of the doctor-knife holder 8 on the carriage 5.

The carriage 5 further carries an impression cylinder 11 consisting of a rubber roller in the example shown here, cylinder 11 being mounted rotationally on a shaft 11a fixed to carriage 5. Shaft 11 extends beyond the near end of cylinder 11 as viewed in the drawing and terminates in a manually actuated knob 12 by means of which the cylinder 11 is rolled along the engraved plate 6 as well as brought into pressure contact with the plate, the material 17 to be printed being located between cylinder 11 and the plate 6. A ball or equivalent type of anti-friction bearing 13 located on shaft 11a intermediate knob 12 and the end of cylinder 11 is adapted to engage a runway 14 on the upper surface of frame 1 as knob 12 is depressed. Such engagement serves as a stop to limit lowering movement of cylinder 11 and thus assures that the same pressure will always be obtained between the impression cylinder 11 and the printing surfaces 7. Partly in order that this pressure may be varied, partly in order that materials 17 of different thicknesses may be printed, the impression cylinder 11 is mounted so as to be vertically displaceable. This is not shown in the drawing but may easily be arranged, for instance by means of an eccentric type of mounting for shaft 11a which supports this cylinder.

The carriage 5 is further provided with a holder 15 for a roll 16 of the material 17 to be printed. This material 17 is led from the roll 16 around the impression cylinder 11 to a clamping device 18, which is secured to one end of a line 19. Line 19 is lead over a pulley 20 at the upper end of an upright 21 and is connected at its other end to a weight 22 running easily within the upright tubular 21. Alternatively, this weight may be replaced by for instance a spring.

At the far left end of the drawing, the frame 1 has a recess 22 which is meant to receive excess ink. In order that the printing surfaces 7 as well as the doctor-knife 11 and the other details may easily be cleaned between the various test printings, the carriage 5 is rotatably mounted on the cylindrical rod 4. As a result hereof, the carriage 5 and the details mounted thereon can be swung completely away from the printing surfaces 7.

As is apparent from the drawing, the printing plate 6 is fixed to the frame by means of three simple screws 23 only. Due to this mounting the printing plate may easily be exchanged when it is desired to change the test printing pattern.

The roller 16 may for instance be mounted on a separate upright on the frame 1. By mounting it on the carriage 5, however, the feed angle of the printed material 17 be comes constant, independently of the position of the carriage. This applies at least to any separate test printing during which the diameter of the roller 16 is not altered materially. The frame 1 is preferably made of cast iron, whereby the press becomes sufficiently heavy and stable. Alternatively, however, other materials may be used. If a lighter structure is used it may, however, become necessary to anchor the press by suitable means.

OPERATION To make a test printing, plate 6 with the pattern 7 etched in or otherwise produced in the surface of the plate is fastened in place by means of the three screws 23 onto the frame 1 and ink is applied to the pattern. The starting point for the test printing is with carriage and the various components which it supports at the right hand end of the frame as viewed in FIG. 1. The operator now takes hold of the head 12 and presses it firmly downward thus effecting a rotation of carriage 5 about the axis of shaft 4 until the outer race of ball bearing 13 contacts the surface of runway 14. While still holding down on the head 12, the operator now slides carriage 5 to the left thus moving the carriage assembly over the test pattern 7, the doctor-knife preceding the impression cylinder 11 with the web of material 17 looped under it, so as to remove excess ink from the pattern and ultimately deposit this excess ink in the recess or tray 22 when the carriage assembly has reached the far left end of the frame.

As the carriage assembly moves progressively over plate 6 and test pattern 7, the latter will be printed in a progressive manner upon the material web 17 as it is pulled off supply roll 16 and pressed by impression cylinder 11 into contact with the pattern. Due to the upward pull which is exerted constantly on that end of web 17 which is secured to line 19 as a result of the loading applied to the latter by weight 22 or an equivalent spring, each linear increment of the web parallel to the axis of impression cylinder 11 will be removed from contact with the pattern 7 immediately after it has been printed thus resulting in a high quality of the printed pattern.

I claim:

1. A rotogravure test press which comprises a support base having a flat upper surface, means for securing a flattened printing plate having a test gravure pattern produced in the surface thereof to said upper surface of said support base, a horizontal rod extending longitudinally of and secured to said support base at a level above said printing plate, a carriage, means mounting said carriage on said rod for movement both longitudinally of said rod and rotatably about the rod axis, an impression cylinder rotatably mounted on said carriage, the axis of rotation of said impression cylinder being transverse to the direction of carriage movement along said rod, supporting means on said carriage for a supply roll of web material which is to be test printed, said web being led from said supply roll around said impression cylinder and between the latter and said printing plate for progressive printing contact with said test pattern as said carriage is moved longitudinally along said rod and printing plate, a doctorknife mounted on said carriage in advance of said impression roller so as to remove excess ink from the test pattern on said printing plate in advance of printing the said pattern on said web, and means for raising each linear increment of said web parallel to the axis of said impression cylinder from contact with said test pattern immediately after printing thereof and which includes a clamp secured to the end of said web, a line extending generally upward from said clamp, and means applying a tensional force to said line and hence also to said clamp and web.

2. A rotogravure test press as defined in claim 1 wherein said means applying a tensional force to said line is constituted by a weight attached to said line after being led over a pulley.

3. A rotogravure test press which comprises a support base having a fiat upper surface, means for securing a flat printing plate having a test gravure pattern produced in the surface thereof to said upper surface of said support base, a carriage, means mounting said carriage on said support base above said printing plate for movement longitudinally of said printing plate, an impression cylinder rotatably mounted on said carriage, the axis of rotation of said impression cylinder being transverse to the direction of carriage movement, means supporting a web of material to be test printed from the pattern, said web being led around said impression cylinder between the latter and said printing plate for progressive printing contact with said test pattern as said carriage is moved longitudinally of said printing plate, means including a clamp secured to the end of said web, a line extending generally upward from said clamp, said line being led over a pulley and thence downward and connected to a weight for applying a continuous upward biasing force to said web whereby each linear increment of said web parallel to the axis of said impression cylinder is raised from contact with said test pattern immediately after printing thereof.

4. A rotogravure test press which comprises a support base having a flat upper surface, means for securing a flat printing plate having a test gravure pattern produced in a surface thereof to said upper surface of said support base, a carriage, means mounting said carriage on said support base above said printing plate for movement longitudinally of said printing plate, means for permitting said carriage to be rotated about its axis of longitudinal movement, a shaft mounted on said carriage and extending transverse to the direction of longitudinal movement of said carriage, an impression cylinder rotatably mounted on said shaft, an anti-friction bearing mounted on said shaft at the end of said impression cylinder and engageable with and stopped by a runway provided on the upper surface of said support base as said carriage is rotated about its axis of longitudinal movement, means supporting a web of material to be test printed from the pattern, said web being led around said impression cylinder between the lattern and said printing plate for progressive printing contact with said test pattern as said carriage is moved longitudinally of said printing plate, and means raising each linear increment of said web parallel to the axis of said impression cylinder from contact with said test pattern immediately after printing thereof.

5. A rotogravure test press which comprises a support base having a flat upper surface, means for securing a fiat printing plate having a test gravure pattern produced in the surface thereof to said upper surface of said support base, a carriage, means mounting said carriage on said support base above said printing plate for movement longitudinally of said printing plate, an impression cylinder rotatably mounted on said carriage, the axis of rotation of said impression cylinder being transverse to the direction of carriage movement, means supporting a web of material to be test printed from the pattern, said web being led around said impression cylinder between the latter and said printing plate for progressive printing contact with said test pattern as said carriage is moved longitudinally of said printing plate, means including clamping means secured to the end of said web, a tension load transmitting means extending generally upward from said clamping means, said load transmitting means extending over a pulley and thence downward and connected to means for applying a continuous upward biasing force to said web whereby each linear increment of said web parallel to the axis of said impression cylinder is raised from contact with said test pattern immediately after printing thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,183,834 5/1965 Marmor et al 101-260 1,338,642 4/1920 Millsap 101--260 1,648,328 11/1927 Scott et al 101-169 3,006,275 10/1961 Allen 101--169 X 3,152,543 10/1964 Hanson et al 101-269 FOREIGN PATENTS 225,321 12/ 1924 Great Britain. 782,529 9/ 1957 Great Britain.

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner J. R. FISHER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 101260 

